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Toyota produces lemon cars and Maytag produces lemon washing machines. Each person's experience is anecdotal and doesn't tell you much. But the cumulative sum of experience is a valuable piece of input that increases your odds of a good outcome. That's all it does - increases your odds, it doesn't guarantee the outcome.
One can make a valid argument that since the least reliable car today is much more reliable than any car of ten or twenty years ago, reliability is of vanishing concern. (I belive the number of "reliability issues" on today's cars are generally in the range of one to two per year, a fairly low number.) But that's a tradeoff the individual needs to make and doesn't mean that organizations like CR shouldn't report reliability data. Some people get incredibly hacked off if a tiny rattle appears in their car; others are pleased as punch if the car simply starts and gets them to where they're going.
Given that CR's reputation is built on objectively and that they don't accept advertising, I sincerely doubt they have any built-in bias towards any particular mfg in their results. They may prioritize certain aspects of a vehicle which may not agree with your priorities, of course, but that's true of any rating, and that's why they provide more detailed results that people should use to make their own judgments.
Any rumor that they take "payoffs" seems highly far-fetched since something like this would eventually come out and they'd lose the credibility foundation that their entire business is built on. I believe CR does have a somewhat "green bias" towards issues like fuel efficiency and they have a very pro-regulatory stance on consumer issues, but I don't think this affects their raw reliabilty ratings of cars, and if it did, then this would make them more pro-VW rather than anti-VW since, if anything, VW remains one of the last no-SUV, small-is-beautiful mfgs of cars. Of course, even VW has joined the enemy with their upcoming big sedans and SUV.
CR's data is far from perfect, but its the best we have. It is a valuable piece of data for the buyer and ignoring it all-together seems just as foolish as accepting it as the last and only word in selecting a car.
- Mark
Also, I said I filled out 2 surveys in the time that I owned the VW. When they asked about workmanship, I gave the lowest rating possible. VW needs to clean up their quality control, I don't care how stylish and safe their cars are.
How about non-stock wheels such as the BBS RXII? This is my first "new" car as well as my first VW and I'd like to get it as complete as possible from the get-go.
Would appreciate any info, experience and comments on cost and availability from dealer and whether I can get the ground effects after-market or better to get new with the car. Same for the wheels.
Thanks!
Also, I know the BBS wheels you are talking about. They are 16" wheels, and the 17" are Long Beaches, larger and also more expensive. But cheaper from the dealer.
This evening I noticed that the lights on the three climate control knobs, just below the radio, did not come on when I turned my interior lights on. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem? Or if you know how the dealer fixed it? I have the 2002 Jetta
1.8T. Two weeks ago my radio stopped working (which has since been temporarily fixed by the dealer). Is the problem with the climate control knob lights related to the radio trouble and another fuse problem? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
I guess I will have to make another trip to the dealer.
Thanks!
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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would you please grasp the difference between road tests and reliability ratings. The Passat scores higher in their road tests than the Accord (they haven't done a road test on the new Accord though) and it's their HIGHEST rated family sedan. The reason the Passat will no longer be recommended is not that they feel any differently about the car's virtues, but because their latest surveys indicate that the car's reliability has fallen to below average. a car has to do well in the road test AND be at least average in reliability in order to be recommended.
I have a hunch it's the non 1.8t equipped jettas that bring the jetta to a below average reliability.
As for CR testing, it never really bothered me until I read a comparison test between a Corvette, Miata, and Z3. I believe they rated the Miata as best, after repeatedly complaining that the Corvette was too WIDE. We are talking about sports cars here, and there is no question that the Corvette is a far, far better sports car than the Miata, and really shouldn't even be compared to either of those two vehicles. It is in a completely different price and performance range.
i am not saying that any person is stupid for following CR recommendations. you have to make the decision that will allow you to sleep at night. i have always said that. to me, most of the population is like that - that is why they buy Camcords. and that is totally understandable. i am saying that being an educated consumer does not stop at some silly magazine. and yes, i have always realized that the road tests are different that the recommendations and surveys. but as i said, the fact that they road test cars using testers that do not even have drivers licenses further backs up my personal feelings that they are a corrupt organization.
as far as radios go, i am not having any problems. but, mine is not Monsoon. does that make a difference? do i need to have my radio replaced? is it just a fuse?
And a fuse is nothing. In my last car, I fried the head unit, TWICE. It couldn't handle being played at nearly full volume I guess. I don't have to turn up the Jetta's radio that loudly to hear it on the highway. To the other car's defense, it didn't have an amp and upgraded speakers (or as many of them) as the Monsoon does.
I not sure if the engine is 100% the same, but I do know that it is arranged in the engine bay the same, transversely. As you already know the TT is on the Jetta/Golf/Beetle platform. The Audi dealer will be able to change your oil. Same filter, same oil, same capacity.
Thanks.
My car has a pollen filter? Huh. Learn something new everyday.
The pollen filter is to be changed every 20,000 miles. When it gets moist and old it develops odors. If you want your car to stink then don't change it. Jetta, Golf, New Beetle, Passat all have the pollen filter.
What other maintenance items do people not know about? I've heard mechanics say that VW owners as a group neglect maintenance the most, are very cheap, and complain the most when their cars break after they failed to maintain them. I'm starting to wonder if this is true.
S'pose we move on now. Thanks!
Jettas sure do look pretty.
They looked better when they were boxier. Same with Volvos.
Hey, at least they have looks if nothing else.
Well, I'd think in my service trips that'd be handled by...I dunno, the service people. Considering VW dealers never fix problems that are pointed out, it'd be silly to assume they'd swap out some filter. As for taking care of the car...it's a lease, so in 23k miles (most likely sooner), it'll be out of my life and no longer my problem (this experience with a lease has convinced me never to buy an off-lease vehicle, I basically have a 3 year rental). Maintenance, in my experience with Japanese cars, means changing the oil every 3-5k miles and taking the car in for service.
Anyone know if you can just remove the filter and go without it? It's not that I'm cheap, it's more that a) I don't want to visit a VW dealership or any car supply place, b) I don't really care if pollen is filtered out.
Oh and the RTFM means nada to me, as I'm fairly sure my car doesn't have one. My trunk and glove box are both empty (save for the spare).
CRs likes VWs a great deal in their road tests, so what incentive would they have to skew the results in a negative way from their surveys? And how would they know how to send surveys to only unhappy VW owners?
By the way, the Camry took a nose dive in their latest survey and fell to average.
No surveys for me either, not even from JD Powers where they give you a $5 bill for the trouble of filling out their survey.
you have your opinion. i have my mine. no biggie. i can only make educated guesses based on my experiences. not on a magazines. i just can't take that leap of faith.
and for a rock chip, if you don't have any touch-up paint, go get some glue, nail polish, or something like that to cover the metal until you get some touch up paint. rust is bad.
Funny, my back windows were the ones that sounded funny when operating (they don't anymore though). I thought the front or back ones could drop though?
Is this in one of their latest "Car Buying Guides"? I thought April was the time when they reset their results.
And if CR's system is simply above or below average, then I wonder who is getting better if so many popular cars are getting worse. Maybe SUVs have improved to the point where they no longer bottom-feed and drive the bar down so far that most sedans are above it.
- Mark
Unwarranted wear and tear is impossible to determine from a cursory look at a car upon lease return. As long as the body's in shape, the interior's fine and the car runs smoothly I have zero worries. Proper maintenance also is really tough for them to gauge. Regardless, I'll in all likelihood just sell the car to some poor sucker before turning it in.
Answer...it doesn't.
The Bentley manual tells you.
Alternatively, you can open the hood, and at the base of the windshield you see 4 screws, remove them and the plastic panel, and you'll get to the pollen filter.
The manual for my parents' CR-V says how to.